The present invention relates generally to the field of sublimation transfers, and more particularly to an improved method and apparatus for applying heat transferable decals to containers or other similar articles having a handle, such as mugs or cups.
Well known techniques have been developed over the years for decorating and personalizing containers, such as ceramic cups, mugs and the like. One common technique used for this purpose is sublimation printing, wherein sublimation transfers are used which incorporate sublimable dyes in the form of a decorative design, image and/or any other desired indicia for transferring to the mug. To decorate a mug in this manner, the sublimation transfer is placed in direct contact with the mug which has been coated with a polymeric coating. Typically, a device, such as a cuff, is used to press the sublimation transfer against the mug. The mug is then heated to a temperature at least as high as sublimation temperature of the dyes constituting the image to be printed. This process causes vaporization of the dyes constituting the image and their immediate absorption into the polymeric coating on the mug, thereby resulting in the image being transferred from the sublimation transfer to the mug.
Sublimation printing is well known in the art and numerous processes and devices have been developed in the past for transferring images and the like to the surface of mugs and similar articles by sublimation. For example, the following U.S. Patents describe various techniques and equipment to effect sublimation transfers and/or other similar operations.: U.S. Pat. No. 5,244,529 to Siegel (1993); U.S. Pat. No. 5,296,081 to Morin et al. (1994); U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,961 to Ellsworth et al. (1996); U.S. Pat. No. 5,395,478 to Sattler et al. (1995); U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,313 to Eminger (1995); U.S. Pat. No. 5,019,193 to Aramini (1991); U.S. Pat. No. 5,170,704 to Warren et al. (1992); U.S. Pat. No. 4,874,454 to Talalay et al. (1989); U.S. Pat. No. 3,816,221 to Shank, Jr. (1974); and U.S. Pat. No. 5,630,894 to Koch et al. (1997).
While the prior art sublimation printing techniques and equipment have proven to work effectively in producing images on mugs and the like, they all suffer from the disadvantage of being unable to print an image or design on the entire outer surface of a mug when the mug includes a handle. More particularly, the prior art techniques and equipment cannot print around or under the handle of a mug, because the handle itself precludes conventional sublimation transfers and cuffs from being applied around and under the handle. As a result, the images on mugs with handles produced with prior art techniques do not continue around the entire mug, but, instead, stop in the vicinity of the handle.
Thus, a need exists for an improved sublimation printing method and apparatus which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.